Oak Bridge at Bank Rock Bay

Originally constructed in 1860, this footbridge crossing the narrow arm of the Lake known as Bank Rock Bay was designed by Calvert Vaux and built of white oak – hence its early name, Oak Bridge. One of the larger and more elegant of the Park’s wooden bridges, it featured panels of decorative cast iron set in the railings. Created as one of the major entrance to the Ramble, it’s become one of the most popular Park destinations for bird watchers.

Wood being more difficult to maintain than stone, the bridge suffered repeated rounds of deterioration and restoration through the years. It was replaced in 1935 and restored over the ensuing years from an entirely utilitarian perspective.

The Conservancy decided to return the historic bridge to the Park’s landscape, and in 2009 completed its recreation and restoration using historic photographs, archival records, and Vaux’s original drawings. Almost entirely built anew, the bridge project marked the Conservancy’s most complex reconstruction of an original Park structure. The new bridge is built of steel clad with ornamental castings, and its decking and railings made of wood. The stone abutments and piers that act as supports for the bridge are the only remaining elements of the historic bridge.